---
# System prepended metadata

title: November pt. 1
tags: [Monthly Core Unit Updates]

---

---
tags: Monthly Core Unit Updates
---

# November pt. 1
# Monthly Core Unit Updates (Thread)
### November 2021

![](https://i.imgur.com/fYXrytP.png)

> ## **Please DO NOT COMMENT on this thread!!**

## Summary

*Welcome to the first Monthly Core Unit Updates :wave: 
As the scale of Core Units continues to increase, we believe it's a good time to streamline a slice of information produced by all the Core Units; recurring team updates.*

*This thread contains recurring updates that were posted by Core Units and Teams at MakerDAO for the month of November.*

*Core Units are presented in alphabetical order.*

### Quick Links 👇

*Click to quick-skip to Core Unit/team:*

- [Collateral Engineering Services]()
- [Content Production]()
- [Data Insights]()
- [Development and UX]()
- [GovAlpha]()
- [Governance Communications]()
- [Growth]()
- [Strategic Happiness]()
- [Oracles]()
- [Protocol Engineering]()
- [Real World Finance]()
    - [New Silver]()
- [Risk]()
- [Sustainable Ecosystem Scaling]()
- [Starknet Engineering]()

Non-Core Units

- [Delegates]()
- [Makerburn]()
- [Parameter Proposal Group]()

# Collateral Engineering Services

[Bi-weekly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?q=%23ces-001%20Core%20Unit%20Update%20in%3Atitle)

## **CES Core Unit Update | #3**

-   Kauê Cano [@kaue](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/kaue) will be joining us as a Smart Contract Engineer! Most recently, Kauê worked at Jigstack as a Blockchain Lead and led local and remote teams of smart contract and dApp developers involving multiple DeFi products of the Jigstack ecosystem. Prior to Jigstack, Kauê worked with or founded companies focusing on state-of-the-art on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Blockchain, and DeFi.
-   Nazar Duchak will be joining us as a Smart Contract Engineer! Most recently, Nazar worked at ParaSwap as a Blockchain Developer and was involved with pricing aggregation, partner exchange integration, and designing and building ParaSwap's infrastructure. Prior to ParaSwap, Nazar worked for IOV Labs (RSK and RIF Platforms), Aeternity, as well as a variety of organizations as a full stack developer.
-   Phil Elsasser [@0xean](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/0xean) will be joining us as an Advisor to the CES Core Unit! Phil is the Head of Technology at the new Fox Foundation, supporting the efforts of the ShapeShift DAO. Previous to his role with the Fox Foundation, Phil was the CTO and lead solidity developer on ElasticDAO core, worked for Amazon in Measurement and Data Science, was a founder of a DeFi crypto startup called MARKET Protocol, and has led numerous technical teams in the web2 and web3 space. His early career was spent building trading algorithms and execution systems on proprietary trading desks in Chicago, which cemented his fascination with capital markets and the DeFi ecosystem.

Please take a moment to welcome Kauê, Nazar, and Phil to the CES Core Unit and MakerDAO. I'm excited for them to bring their background, talents, and experiences to the team and the protocol!

Again, I want to thank all that have assisted CES in hiring our team: PE (Chris & Brian), Oracles (Mark-André), SES (Wouter), and Talent (Teodor). The CES Core Unit kicked off on Oct 4, and within six weeks, we've been able to identify, interview, and make offers for all key positions (one more is coming that I will announce shortly). That is quite an accomplishment given the talent environment, the newness of a DAO, and the industry we work within.

**CES Status**

This week, Nikolaj and Henrique formally started with the CES Core Unit...and what a perfect week to start! Both were able to immediately jump in while onboarding and materially contribute to the WBTC-B, SocGen contract review/assessment, and MIP21 work. We also had our initial meeting with PE to discuss the initial transition of collateral work from PE to CES. Next week, Kauê will start on Nov 24, and Nazar will join us part-time until Dec 20 as he winds down his ParaSwap work.

Prior to the team starting, my time was focused on getting the CES Core Unit up and running from an operational perspective, aligning with key Core Unit stakeholders, and recruiting the team. This week, we started the transition into operating the Core Unit and working to deliver on our mandate:

> Scale the Dai supply (1T) by enabling anyone to onboard collateral in a stable and cost-effective manner.

So, what's next?

CES Focus & Deliverables

In the past six weeks, I have learned a lot and am excited about the opportunity ahead of us. As we stay true to our crypto native roots, I believe the MakerDAO has a tremendous future by enhancing real-world asset exposure to help us deliver on the CES mandate.

In the short time remaining before the end of the year, the CES Core Unit will focus on a variety of goals and deliverables:

-   Onboard new CES team members
-   Continue to identify and transition collateral activities from PE to CES
-   Collateral process and coordination of MakerDAO stakeholders
-   CES Strategic Planning

As always, please reach out to me if you have any questions or feedback on the above.

---

## **CES Core Unit Update | #4**

Let's start with our latest new hire.

-   Miguel Cabeza will be joining us as a Technical Product Manager! Miguel has experience as Head of Product Management in the e-commerce industry and 10+ years of experience on roles in Digital Marketing in video games and FMCG industries. He is a contributor to yearn.finance and SAI holder (still have some dust in a wallet!). Please join me in welcoming Miguel to the team as he started part-time on Nov 29th.

Overall, this completes the core CES team. We have an opportunistic hire open for a Lead Smart Contract Engineer, [Lead Smart Contract Engineer](https://makerdao.recruitee.com/o/lead-smart-contract-engineer), and have several candidates working through the hiring process. If you know of anyone that would fit this job description, please reach out to me.

**CES Status**

It's been a busy few weeks with onboarding new team members and getting into the execution phase of the core unit. Below is a short summary of the high-level accomplishments:

-   Continued working with the Maker CUs and on the SocGen implementation.
    -   Nikolaj delivered the MIP21 technical overview and implementation recommendations for SocGen.
-   Syncing and alignment with Maker CUs on our RWA approach.
-   Contribute to Goerli and Mainnet executive spell for Dec 3rd in collaboration with PE, specifically working on the onboarding of GUNIV3DAIUSDC2-A, collateral rate changes, dust changes, and debt ceiling changes. Having multiple teams work on a mainnet spell is a first in MakerDAO, which is a development towards parallelization of work which will help reduce the bus factor and increase decentralization in the DAO. We are thrilled with the support we've had from PE so far in getting up to speed and appreciate their collaboration on this.
-   Identify gaps in existing documentation and processes as we go through the collateral onboarding and spell-making processes. Started work on spell crafting docs.
-   Internal training: Did walkthrough of the Maker Protocol modules and collateral onboarding process. Had two dedicated teamwork sessions on writing the weekly spell.
-   Contributed with input on the Collateral Offboarding Process MIP by PaperImperium.
-   Continued with the CES CU planning process and budget MIP preparation.

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

# Content Production

[Bi-Weekly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?q=%23core-units%3Acontent-production%20Bi-Weekly%20Update%20in%3Atitle)

## **Content Production Quarterly Update: Aug - Oct 2021**

Greetings from the Content Production Core Unit! In addition to our usual update (10/29 - 11/11), we're also providing details on what we've been up to this quarter and what we're looking forward to in Q1 2023.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#administrative-updates-1)Administrative Updates

-   Attended ETHPortland and NFT.NYC

https://twitter.com/MakerMegaphone/status/1456288880353693700

ETHPortland and NFT.NYC turned out to be a nice reintroduction to crypto conferences: we got to reconnect with the crypto community, meet most of each other for the first time in real life, and meet members of GovComms and Growth as well.

We saw a lot of interest in MakerDAO's operations and DAOops in general and enthusiasm toward the developments in Real-World Finance and the reduction of Dai's reliance on USDC, and the team had good discussions about our direction and upcoming opportunities.

-   Obtained business insurance
-   Obtained legal counsel

We've started working with an attorney to help us understand what regulations we may or may not need to worry about with regard to content production. Unfortunately, it took longer than anticipated to get onboarded due to a mix-up with our payment processor, but we got things ironed out and had our first meeting this past week.

It sounds like the regulations we need to worry about shouldn't have much of an impact on our existing efforts, but we will be asking him to review some of our work on the Community Portal and Explainer Videos to ensure there aren't any red flags prior to publication.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#content-production-bi-weekly-update-1029-1111-2)Content Production Bi-Weekly Update 10/29 - 11/11

Video

-   Published
    -   [[Maker Relay] Monthly Governance Review: October](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhV388sL6Bs)
    -   [Maker Relay] The State of Dai ([10/26 - 11/1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeinfHe75so)) & ([11/2 - 11/8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbOYdEmZp_I))
    -   Post-production, posted [Forum at a Glance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk7F6ejxyQA&list=PLLzkWCj8ywWPolnUhRn_HWeZJX35PuT53&index=48).
    -   Organized [[AMA] Risk Management with MakerDAO's Risk Core Unit | AMA Ep. 11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilts--wRXw), hosted by [@Prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11).

##### Writing

Want to read Maker Relay and Dai on Different Networks in your email? Sign up on Substack: <https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/>.

-   Forum
    -   Maker Relay [Ep 69](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-69/11345) and [Ep 70](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-70/11528) in collaboration with GovComms.
    -   Multi-chain DAI-lights - [Nov 4](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/multi-chain-dai-lights-november-4-2021/11454) and Nov 11
    -   [Monthly Governance Review: October](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-governance-review-october-2021/11517) in collaboration with GovComms.
-   [Substack](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/)
    -   Maker Relay [Ep 69](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/maker-relay-69) and [Ep 70](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/maker-relay-70)
    -   The State of Dai [Ep 11](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/the-state-of-dai-11) and [Ep 12](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/the-state-of-dai-12)

##### Audio

-   Created 11 intro songs for various video/audio productions (including future projects)
-   Created five background songs to give our educational content a more professional tone.
-   Started working with ElPro on the podcast idea "Meet the Makers"

##### Other

-   Started discussions on organizing the content collection and a side event at ETHDenver.
-   Distributed a [commemorative NFT](https://app.poap.xyz/admin/events/the-great-migration-from-rocketchat-2021) for Rocket.chat - please DM us if you haven't received one yet!
-   Released and updated the [Dai-Curious Dashboard](https://dune.xyz/alec/Where-is-my-Dai), which details a wide range of high-level MakerDAO financials.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#looking-ahead-3)Looking Ahead

In the coming weeks, we'll be:

-   Posting a promo video for Maker Wormhole.
-   Hosting an [AMA on Maker Wormhole](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/ask-makerdao-12-ama-learn-about-maker-wormhole-with-protocol-engineering/11610) featuring Sam and Kris from Protocol Engineering.
-   Hosting a[ meeting with multiple Core Unit](https://discord.com/channels/893112320329396265/899667556418351194/908485334252281857) contributors/facilitators to discuss plans for ETH Denver.
-   Building a Keeper to better understand and document the process from an inexperienced user's perspective.

## [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#quarterly-update-4)Quarterly Update

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#community-portal-5)Community Portal

Community Portal v2.0 will be ready for launch following a review by our attorney. We've rebuilt the [existing Portal](https://www.makerdao.world/) with a new CMS that's more scalable and less expensive, removed outdated content in the Learn section, and reorganized the remaining content for accessibility, and updated the Resources section to better reflect the current state of MakerDAO.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#explainer-videos-6)Explainer Videos

Our first explainer video, "How to Vote in Governance" is also awaiting legal review and is otherwise ready for publication. It's taken longer than anticipated to get the first video out due to the extra work involved in setting up our scriptwriting, design, and animation processes, but getting these in place helps streamline the production of the rest of the explainer videos.

We have scripts we're working on in collaboration with GovAlpha ([linked here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XuS4vIewPbdipLw6iHnG6UCYsZ5UzOg8Zv88lG829i8/edit#gid=0)) at varying stages of completion and several topical scripts covering things like liquidations.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#regular-publications-7)Regular Publications

To increase the accessibility of our work on Maker Relay (in collaboration with GovComms) and Multi-chain Dai-lights (formerly Dai on Different Networks), we've made these updates available via email using [Substack](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/); once Community Portal v2.0 launches, we'll publish these updates on the blog and allow readers to subscribe to as many or few updates as they would like to receive.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#looking-ahead-8)Looking Ahead

In Q1 2022, we'll be focusing on:

-   Collecting content at ETHDenver and organizing a MakerDAO side event. Jerry's based in Denver and plugged into the local music scene, which means he
-   Launching the pilot of our Ambassador Program, which will pay contributors from different regions to translate content to and from different languages, manage localized social media channels, and host meetups. The pilot will target Latin America.
-   Updating content in the Learn section of the Community Portal, adding more Resources as they become available, and testing for usability.
-   Publishing Explainer Videos, starting with several we're collaborating on with GovAlpha and moving on to important topics like Liquidations and Collateral Onboarding.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618#budget-update-9)Budget Update

After reviewing our accounting for October, it appears we're more under budget on salaries than we reported in our most recent budget proposal by about 9000 Dai, and our Community Portal fund has been largely unused since the new CMS doesn't require input from a React dev.

We're currently assessing the cost of the content production efforts we're proposing for ETHDenver and plan to put up a Signal Request to see whether or not we have the community's support in reallocating these funds to cover those expenses.

Received: (in a multi-sig controlled by Governance)

| Category | Funds |
| --- | --- |
| Total since Aug 31 (the last budget passed) | 98,067 DAI |
| Total in streaming contract | 103,134 DAI |
| Total in Gnosis multi-sig (where DAI went prior to streaming) | 17,359.73 

Spent since October 1st:

| Category | Funds |
| --- | --- |
| Salaries | 48,637.00 DAI |
| Community Management | 400 DAI |
| Contingency | 8089.29 |
| Other | 886.93 |
| Total | 58,013.22 |
| Leftover Budget | 120,493.73 |
| - Contingency leftovers | 8652.71 DAI |
| - Continuity | 46,500 DAI |
| New Leftover Total | 65,341.02 |

We've also rolled 51,056 DAI over to our [new budget proposal](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip40c3-sp33-modify-core-unit-budget-mkt-001/10150)

#### Quarterly Update for August - October is available [here.](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-quarterly-update-aug-oct-2021/11618)

As always, check out our [Transparency Dashboard](https://content.makerdao.network/Content-Production-Core-Unit-b428b35984b7423893f5402618fae798) to see what we’re working on and please join us for our weekly [Office Hours](https://content.makerdao.network/Office-Hours-3c03ea25fec7455f960da297eca113b9) on Tuesdays at 14:30 UTC.

---

## **Content Production Bi-Weekly Update: 11/12 - 11/25**

Greetings from the Content Production Core Unit! The team took last Thursday and Friday off for the Thanksgiving holiday, which means this update will cover the last three weeks.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-bi-weekly-update-11-12-11-25/11975#administrative-updates-1)Administrative Updates

-   Onboarded legal counsel; beginning to review our content.
-   Transitioning to QuickBooks for some of our payments to save on gas fees

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-bi-weekly-update-11-12-11-25/11975#content-production-2)Content Production

##### Video

-   Published
    -   [[Maker Relay] Monthly Governance Review: October](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhV388sL6Bs&t=96s)
    -   [Maker Relay] The State of Dai ([11/9 - 11/15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh6RU10JZrI&t=2s)) & ([11/16 - 11/22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9GvWnTiO8)) & ([11/23 - 11/29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydUReeAZxBs))
    -   [[AMA] Learn About Maker Wormhole with Protocol Engineering | AMA Ep. 12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdU9Qt4RIaY&t=13s)
    -   [Maker Wormhole Promotional Video](https://www.reddit.com/r/MakerDAO/comments/quo819/introducing_maker_wormhole/)
-   Posted
    -   [Governance and Risk | Ep. 167](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sylJ74tGSgE&t=11s)
    -   [Governance and Risk | Ep. 168](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GcrJwElB0Y&t=14s)
    -   [Governance and Risk | Ep. 169](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBoHc7e45Is)
    -   [Meet Your Delegate | Ep. 6 Ft. GFX Labs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoiTAghnWFE&t=2s)
    -   [Meet Your Delegate | Ep. 7 Ft. JustinCase](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brNkBB33H84)
-   Finished How To Vote video, coordinating publication with DUX and GovAlpha.

Finishing the first cut of Governance Processes.
Finalizing script for Liquidations explainer.
Planning content production for ETH Denver.

##### Writing

Want to read Maker Relay and Multi-chain Dai-lights in your email? Sign up on Substack: <https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/>.

-   Forum
    -   Maker Relay[ Ep 71](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-71/11666), [Ep 72](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-72/11773), and Ep 73 in collaboration with GovComms
    -   [Multi-chain DAI-lights - November 11, 2021](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/multi-chain-dai-lights-november-11-2021/11599)
    -   [Multi-chain DAI-lights - November 18, 2021](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/multi-chain-dai-lights-november-18-2021/11725)
-   [Substack](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/)
    -   Maker Relay [Ep 71](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/maker-relay-ep-71) & [Ep 72](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/maker-relay-ep-72)
    -   The State of Dai [Ep 12](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/the-state-of-dai-12) and [Ep 13](https://makerdaoupdates.substack.com/p/state-of-dai-13)

##### Syndicated content on

-   [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/MakerDAO/)
-   [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MakerMegaphone)

##### Audio

-   Production for Wormhole video
-   Audio editing/production for the State of DAI (video version)
-   Production on intros for various calls and meetings
-   Planning for ETH Denver Welcome Party (including booking bands/venue)

##### Other

-   Updated the [Dai-Curious](https://dune.xyz/alec/Where-is-my-Dai) and [Dai on Different Networks](https://dune.xyz/alec/Dai-on-Different-Networks) dashboards.
-   Built a Reddit scraper to better assess commonly asked questions.
-   Met with Gov-Comms about upcoming Issue Discussion Calls
-   Met with members of Growth, SES, and Recognized Delegates to collaborate on plans for [ETH Denver side events/sponsorship](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/ethdenver-2022-planning-update/11790)

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/content-production-bi-weekly-update-11-12-11-25/11975#looking-ahead-3)Looking Ahead

In the coming weeks, we'll be:

-   Announcing details of the "Welcome to Denver" event we're planning around ETH Denver
-   Reorganizing and assessing our progress/new year strategy
-   Putting out new job ads for hires
    -   Press Relations
    -   Video Production Assistant
    -   Audio Production Assistant
    -   Social Media Manager
-   Getting our "How-to-Vote" video published on the Governance manual, as well as the governance portal
-   Communicating with various teams to clarify/correct some of the out-of-date information on the Community Portal (makerdao.world)

As always, check out our [Transparency Dashboard](https://content.makerdao.network/Content-Production-Core-Unit-b428b35984b7423893f5402618fae798) to see what we're working on and please join us for our weekly [Office Hours](https://content.makerdao.network/Office-Hours-3c03ea25fec7455f960da297eca113b9)on Tuesdays at 14:30 UTC.

# Data Insights

## **Data Insights Core Unit Status update**

[Monthly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?expanded=true&q=%23din-001%20status%20update)

1.  The first month of operations was mostly focused on setting up the Core Unit business and technical environment and moving the data and services from Token Flow to dedicated CU infrastructure. Effective 1st November, team members who previously worked for Token Flow Insights became engaged directly by the CU for time spent on CU business (Piotr - 100%, Tomek - 25% FTE).

2.  The technical migration is mostly completed, and we are now switching existing GUIs to new data sources. By the end of the year, we plan to be fully decoupled from the previous environment and operate independently, using dedicated AWS and Snowflake subscriptions.

3.  Once this is complete, the only commercial link to Token Flow Insights will be the provision of data feeds under contract. The CU is able to switch data providers to an alternative supplier if it is deemed by the CU that a superior alternative exists. This can be switched at will - there are no long-term contracts in place with Token Flow Insights in order to maintain flexibility for the CU.

4.  After assessing all options, the CU decided to postpone the incorporation of a distinct legal entity hosting the Core Unit and temporarily operate in a decentralized mode. We plan to reevaluate this as soon as we get a full understanding of the required legal framework and actual costs and risks. Because our initial budget included a one-off amount of 10,000 DAI for incorporation and it was already paid to the CU multisig, we plan to return this to the Pause Proxy using the [precedent set by GovAlpha](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-budget-return/11341.) and will add the transaction hash in comments below when this has been completed.

5.  Other things that we delivered in November include:

    -   fixing critical bugs and small tweaks in [MCD Vaults Tracker](http://beta.mcdstate.info/)
    -   delegates status reporting for GovAlpha CU
    -   gas consumption reporting for StarkNet CU
    -   voting bird's-eye view for Growth CU
6.  We organized a round of interviews with Core Units that are the biggest consumers of our data to understand their requirements and plans. Based on their feedback, we have prepared the initial roadmap for the next few months. The roadmap is available [here](https://data.makerdao.network/1e78082086f44107877f194f0e35e0e8?v=bd06bd01cc624d7585970d93433181bc) and will be constantly updated with current status and new requirements.

7.  The most important next product will be the full history of MCD Protocol system parameters. This dataset will provide a detailed overview of all changes made in any of the general and ilk-related parameters (similar to [makerburn.com](https://makerburn.com/#/big-table) but with a history and relation to specific spells). The first prototype should be ready before Christmas, and we plan to release it publicly in January.

8.  A few smaller things that we plan to deliver until Christmas are related to the Data API. Under the hood, we are switching to a new API framework that will be easier to maintain and will make life much easier for those that use the existing endpoints.

# Development and UX

## **November Update**

*Official forum update coming soon*

1.  Releases
    -   The DUX team has been sticking to a frequent release cadence every two weeks and has been adding new features to improve the governance experience. Two of our more notable releases are
    -   Nov, 23rd - [https://www.notion.so/makerdux/Governance-Portal-Release-v0-2-4-November-23rd-7c341dc2afd342f9a4b2bd5e90146c70](https://www.notion.so/Governance-Portal-Release-v0-2-4-November-23rd-7c341dc2afd342f9a4b2bd5e90146c70)

2.  Updates
    -   This month, we made a modification to our budget MIP with the help of SES to onboard their new budgeting workflow. The MIP was posted here: <https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip40c3-sp52-development-ux-core-unit-budget-dux-001/12085>
    -   The team has also begun discussing meeting for an offsite during the ETH Denver Hackathon and how we can participate or contribute to that.

3.  Communication
    -   The Governance Portal experienced some brief downtime due to a regression introduced in a recent update. After triaging the issue, we created a post-mortem outlining what happened and mitigation steps.
    -   In alignment with our mandate to improve the user experience around governance, our own `@0xDeniz` has provided his thoughts addressing governance participation and posted this in the forum here: <https://forum.makerdao.com/t/improving-governance-participation-rate-at-makerdao/11706>

4.  Holiday Time-Off

    - Our team will be off from December 20th to January 2nd, we’ll be back to work on Monday January 3rd. Fear not, we’ll have two team members on-call each day of the holiday break in case any issues arise.

# GovAlpha

[Weekly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?expanded=true&q=tags%3Agov-001%20Weekly%20Update%20in%3Atitle%20order%3Alatest_topic)

GovAlpha Q3 2021 Quarterly Review available [here.](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-q3-2021-quarterly-review/11516)

### **GovAlpha Weekly Update - 2021-11-12**

Hello folks! Wanted to start off with an acknowledgment that I've been dropping the ball on the Weekly Updates lately. Wanted to thank [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) for staying diligent and his patience with me. They'll be a bit more at the bottom of this post but wanted to apologize to the community for the recent lack of communication.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#highlights-2)Highlights

-   [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) is rounding up the work on the Maker Operational Manual. Keep an eye out for our soft launch forum post ![:slight_smile:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=10 ":slight_smile:") ! Special thanks to [@Gala](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/gala) for getting this project off the ground.
-   [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) is putting together a MIP Editor Handbook that focuses on Onboarding. This will greatly aid in getting more MIP editors onboarded to GovAlpha.
-   We've been onboarding [@ceresbzns](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/ceresbzns) as a GovAlpha contributor. Ceres comes from 1Hive, bringing a wealth of DAO experience and some technical knowledge in SourceCred instances. Say hello next time you see them ![:wave:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/wave.png?v=10 ":wave:")

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#quarterly-focuses-3)Quarterly Focuses

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#delegation-4)Delegation

-   Big news this week! Custody platforms have finally added compatibility for MKR Delegation. We expect to see some serious MKR being delegated over the next couple of weeks.
-   Delegate Compensation Trail update below, still on track for our first distribution at the end of the month.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#robustness-5)Robustness

-   The Maker Operational Manual coming online is a big step in our goals for more robustness.
-   We're preparing to onboard more MIP Editors who will offer greater decentralization and redundancy.
-   You might have noticed a new #SourceCred channel in Discord; we have always had a chat with SourceCred, but decided our coordinations could be beneficial to the community and opened up Read access (and emoji reactions ![:+1:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/+1.png?v=10 ":+1:") ) to the channel. Currently running a preliminary poll on about instance there.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#internal-developments-6)Internal Developments

-   This week [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) took a stab at the Executive Copy and did a great job. Having more members able to accurately draft Executive Copy is a great development for the CU. We look forward to seeing his name on future commits.
-   Thanks to a great call/report from [@gov-comms-core-unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/gov-comms-core-unit), [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) has been tidying up the MIPs repo. We have a few action items to unify our communications with the DAO that we will be focusing on this coming week.
-   [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix)'s PC died ![:frowning:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/frowning.png?v=10 ":frowning:") but we were still able to get some effective work and coordination done. Stay tuned as [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix) and [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) collaborate on a GovAlpha webpage!

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#weekly-assignments-7)Weekly Assignments

-   Executive Process - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Polls Process - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) , [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix) , [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr)
-   Governance and Risk Meeting Chair - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   GovAlpha Weekly Update - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   Delegate Metric Tracking - [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence), [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   MIPs Update - [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa)
-   Collateral Status Sheet - [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix)

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-12/11608#external-stuff-8)External Stuff

-   With the [recent poll](https://vote.makerdao.com/polling/QmbvuhYH?network=mainnet#poll-detail) raising the compensation during the Recognized Delegate Compensation Trail passing, GovAlpha is collaborating with [@data-insights-cu](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/data-insights-cu) to record average MKR voting weight. Distributions will be made to Recognized Delegates at the end of the month.
-   [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) met with [@Aes](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/aes) to talk about formalizing budget returns. Once this week's executive is executed, our excess budget will be fully returned to the protocol.

*Thanks for checking out our weekly update! I'll be more diligent in ensuring these keep getting posted every week. As mentioned at the top of the post, I've been struggling personally and organizationally. But this week has been good on both fronts, with me creating a new personal task tracker to ensure obligations like this post don't fall by the waist side.*

*On the personal side, I've been dealing with mental health struggles exacerbated by some familial circumstances. Wanted to drop a link to some [Mental Health Resources](https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/people-mental-health-problems) for both people facing mental health problems of their own and those around them. I was quite fortunate in that my new insurance made seeking therapy fairly easy. This won't be the case for everyone, but I wanted to plug the importance of reaching out to someone when you're struggling.*

*I added this to our update because I don't think mental health is talked about enough in this space, and I hope me being willing to talk about my struggle publicly might open others up to seek the help they need. We have a wonderful community here at Maker, and our strong network of personal connections means no one should have to suffer in silence.*

___

## **GovAlpha Weekly Update - 2021-11-19**

### Quarterly Focuses

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-19/11740#delegation-3)Delegation

-   We are soon to be welcoming two new (kind of) recognized delegates to MakerDAO: [@GFXLabs](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/gfxlabs) ([profile](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/gfx-labs-delegate-platform/11556)) and [@JustinCase](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/justincase) ([profile](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/justincase-delegate-platform/11721)). I'd like to extend a warm welcome to JustinCase, particularly as the first example of someone new to the MakerDAO community putting themselves forward as a Recognized Delegate.
-   We are also coming up on our first distribution of Recognized Delegate compensation. [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) will be taking the lead on coordinating this. We believe we've already identified some pain points with the current structure of the trial compensation and will be following up on those, most likely in the new year.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-19/11740#robustness-4)Robustness

-   [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) has been continuing to work on an onboarding manual for potential MIP Editors.
-   [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) has been handling contributor onboarding, and 1-on-1's this week.
-   We are continuing to share knowledge within the Core Unit, most recently in the form of writing the executive copy. [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) and [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) have both taken turns on that in the past few weeks.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-19/11740#other-stuff-5)Other Stuff

-   The Maker Operational Manual work is still ongoing. The new target is to get it launched on [manual.makerdao.com](http://manual.makerdao.com/) by the end of November. We were able to integrate the awesome budget flow diagrams created by [@Petru_Catana](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/petru_catana) from SES; big thanks to them for putting that together.
-   [@ceresbzns](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/ceresbzns) and [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence) have continued to work on a 'governance-in-other-DAOs' research report.
-   [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) has been taking a more active role in managing signals and delegation in the forum the past week.
-   [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) posted the 'governance over the holiday' [post](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/governance-over-the-holiday-break-2021-2022/11694) for 2021/2022.
-   [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) has been working on drafting GovAlpha's MKR Compensation budget.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-19/11740#weekly-assignments-6)Weekly Assignments

-   Executive Process - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   Polls Process - [@LongForWIsdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom), [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr), [@AstronautThis](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/astronautthis)
-   Governance and Risk Meeting Chair - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   GovAlpha Weekly Update - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Delegate Metric Tracking - [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) + [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix)
-   MIPs Update - [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa)
-   Collateral Status Sheet - [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr)

---

## **GovAlpha Weekly Update - 2021-11-26**

### Quarterly Focuses

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-26/11847#delegation-3)Delegation

-   [@JustinCase](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/justincase) completes his 'Meet Your Delegate' meeting and joins us as a Recognized Delegate! This brings the number of Recognized Delegates to 8. This is definitely an improvement, but I'm hopeful that we can push the total into double digits over the next few months.
-   [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) has really stepped up the last few weeks to take charge of managing GovAlpha's responsibilities in relation to delegates. He's been keeping track of metrics and is going to be taking the lead on the first set of delegate compensation for November.
-   [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) spent some time with [@tiago](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/tiago) of DUX Core Unit discussing and brainstorming ideas for the delegates UI on [vote.makerdao.com](http://vote.makerdao.com/). The current UI is already fantastic, and it's largely thanks to Tiago's efforts on the UI/UX. Thanks for putting up with me, guys!

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-26/11847#robustness-4)Robustness

-   Over the last couple of weeks, we've been focusing more heavily on sharing knowledge around the executive process, further reducing bus-risk for the CU.
-   [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) has spent some time helping identify and squash bugs in the MIPs portal alongside his usual responsibilities helping MIP authors tidy up their proposals.
-   [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) been ensuring that there are no errors or issues with delegate tracking and compensation.
-   [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence) has been learning how to handle the Maker SourceCred payouts.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-26/11847#other-stuff-5)Other Stuff

-   [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) continues to work on getting the Maker Operational Manual ready for publication. The planning fallacy has been hitting me hard on this one. I'm still moderately confident I can get it up in November, though it may slip until early December. [@AstronautThis](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/astronautthis) and [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) have been helping too.
-   [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) spent some time working with the incubating talent core unit to share some of GovAlpha's personnel requirements.
-   [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix) has been working on a website documenting what GovAlpha does in practice. We've written about this before in a few places, but we're hoping to get it all compiled so that we can use it for transparency and onboarding.
-   [@ceresbzns](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/ceresbzns) and [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence) are continuing to research governance in other DAOs and crypto-protocols.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-11-26/11847#weekly-assignments-6)Weekly Assignments

-   Executive Process - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Polls Process - [@LongForWIsdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom), [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr), [@AstronautThis](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/astronautthis), [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix)
-   Governance and Risk Meeting Chair - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   GovAlpha Weekly Update - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Delegate Metric Tracking - [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr)
-   MIPs Update - [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa)
-   Collateral Status Sheet - [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr)

---

## **GovAlpha Weekly Update - 2021-12-03**

### Quarterly Focuses

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-12-03/11998#delegation-3)Delegation

-   The first lot of delegate compensation will be distributed to the executive this week. Going through the process for this has already highlighted a number of weaknesses and issues which we're looking forward to fixing. See a breakdown and some links [here](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/delegate-compensation-breakdown-november-2021/11979). [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr) did a great job here getting this sorted.
-   We have a ninth soon-to-be recognized delegate joining us. Welcome to [@ACREinvest](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/acreinvest), you can find their delegate profile [here](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/acreinvest-delegate-platform/11943). Having more people consider this role is extremely encouraging and speaks well for the future and quality of delegates at Maker.
-   We spent a little time speaking about where we're at with respect to delegation in the recent governance and risk call.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-12-03/11998#robustness-4)Robustness

-   [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa) been continuing to help get bugs fixed on the MIPs Portal, along with his usual activities spent helping authors make their MIPs as clear and effective as possible.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-12-03/11998#other-stuff-5)Other Stuff

-   [@ceresbzns](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/ceresbzns) and [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence) have shared some of the results of their research work on governance in other DAO's internally. There is still a good bit of polish work before this becomes fit for public consumption, but it looks quite positive so far.
-   Work on the Maker Operational Manual proceeds; we've now got domains and such setup, so we're more or less ready to officially launch once we've done a final pass over the content. I was hoping to get to the official launch today but got side-tracked. If anyone wants a preview in its current state, you can find it [here](https://manual.makerdao.com/).
-   [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom) is away for the next few weeks; I'll be back in January! [@prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11) will be around, but I'll be checking in periodically to cover anything very urgent.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govalpha-weekly-update-2021-12-03/11998#weekly-assignments-6)Weekly Assignments

-   Executive Process - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Polls Process - [@Prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11), [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr), [@TheExistence](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/theexistence)
-   Governance and Risk Meeting Chair - [@Prose11](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/prose11)
-   GovAlpha Weekly Update - [@LongForWisdom](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/longforwisdom)
-   Delegate Metric Tracking - [@mkrorbkr](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/mkrorbkr)
-   MIPs Update - [@blimpa](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/blimpa)
-   Collateral Status Sheet - [@Sebix](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/sebix)

# Governance Communications

[Bi-Weekly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?q=%23core-units%3Agovernance-communications%20Bi-Weekly%20Update%20in%3Atitle)

Maker Governance Review: October 2021 available [here.](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-governance-review-october-2021/11517)

## **GovComms Bi-Weekly Update: Oct 30 - Nov 12**

### Administrative Update

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#added-roles-visual-diagram-4)Added Roles Visual Diagram

We added a visual description of the roles between our full-time team members to our public drive. Check it out ![:point_down:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/point_down.png?v=10 ":point_down:")

![GovComms Roles Map](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/0/0dcb591dc5b1bbfeb34d608771330cb4098d5dcd_2_338x500.png)

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#budget-modification-5)Budget Modification

The budget modification proposal [SP40](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip40c3-sp40-modify-core-unit-budget-com-001/10756) has been Formally Submitted for the November Cycle. The main changes are:

-   Travel figures updated; More accurately reflects expenses by assuming one team-wide offsite for three people and coverage for two people to attend up to three events per year.
-   Salary line item updated; More accurate.
-   Hourly Compensation item updated; More accurate.
-   Operating Expenses item updated; More accurate.

For detailed figures, visit the proposal linked above.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#work-being-done-6)Work Being Done

Since the launch of the CU, we have added a ton to [our public drive.](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GBAeTx4jmob7wRs7_LK32Bh_Y-pHzPvV?usp=sharing) Supporting documentation around all our active projects is growing, with project plans/descriptions, metrics tracking, and workflow process docs coming into existence and being iteratively improved upon.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#meetings-at-maker-the-call-calendar-7)Meetings at Maker, The Call Calendar

We are continuing to formulate a vision for meetings and coordination at MakerDAO. Currently, we have a public call calendar that anyone can subscribe to. We are putting together [documentation](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kecu6_Qso_DDQ03E_8DcMZglg6TjB2qmpxVQ7ASYXgQ/edit?usp=sharing) for what this calendar will be. The vision is to give permissions to select Facilitators and key team members who are leading various initiatives and sub initiatives to be able to schedule public calls with strict invite lists as well as calls with open access. This will be key for improving visibility and feedback opportunities for stakeholders of all types.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#translations-8)Translations

Carrying forward the legacy work of some community development team contributors, our team has continued to fund translations of [select publications into Spanish.](https://forum.makerdao.com/tag/espa%C3%B1ol) We held a meeting with the content production team after our former meeting with the contributor team in order to help bridge their work to a Core Unit with the appropriate mandate to house the work. Content Production is piloting an ambassador program that includes translations for content.

Handoff nearly complete ![:handshake:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/handshake.png?v=10 ":handshake:")

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#stakeholder-database-9)Stakeholder Database

We are in the process of reviewing and solidifying a deal with legal counsel that specializes in global tech GDPR compliance; soon after, we will begin work to bring our practices up to a standard that ensures the protection of collected stakeholder data.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#information-output-audit-10)Information Output Audit

Thomas has completed a [written report of the first findings of the Audit.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bBfcFFjKj6vsXlFakNQ92wc17LvbYH5cI-LmxEB10Bg/edit?usp=sharing) We shared it prior to our very first Status Update call, which happened Nov 11th, and had a handful of attendance from facilitators and representative team members. The video can be found on our drive [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WjKS3Qd5LTchNIM0XJZhP_W4cOEEu4mG/view?usp=sharing).

The next step for the audit is checking in with each Core Unit Facilitator to capture their feedback on the audit findings. If the Core Units agree with the findings, then the next step will be to finalize the audit and set a timetable for completing each recommendation.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#issue-discussion-calls-11)Issue Discussion Calls

We created a draft of the [process documentation](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QRA7aRRxM_CJzWMs-0HWlrHjxfbx48ou2QeeopkNSkI/edit?usp=sharing) for coordinating and organizing these calls. The next call is being planned.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#published-103021-111221-12)Published 10/30/21 - 11/12/21

Maker Governance Review\
*(Dual effort between MKT-001 & COM-001)*

[October 2021](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-governance-review-october-2021/11517)

Maker Relay\
*(Dual effort between MKT-001 & COM-001)*

[#69 Eng](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-69/11345) | [#69 Esp](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-69-en-espanol/11439)\
[#70 Eng](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-70/11528) | [#70 Esp](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-70-en-espanol/11569)

Forum at a Glance

[10/28 - 11/4](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/forum-at-a-glance-october-28th-november-4th/11441)\
[11/4 - 11/11](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/forum-at-a-glance-november-4th-november-11th/11591)

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-oct-30-nov-12/11604#up-ahead-13)Up Ahead

-   Emergency Playbook Work
-   Mandate Refresh
-   COM-001 MKR Comp Package
-   Coordinating the next Issue Discussion Call
-   Next steps for Information Output Audit
-   Monthly MakerDAO CUs update

---

## **GovComms Bi-Weekly Update: Nov 15 - 26**

### Administrative Update

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#budget-updated-with-sp40-3)Budget Updated with SP40

Our budget modification proposal, [SP40,](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/mip40c3-sp40-modify-core-unit-budget-com-001/10756) has been accepted. The main changes are:

-   Travel figures updated; More accurately reflects expenses by assuming one team-wide offsite for three people and coverage for two people to attend up to three events per year.
-   Salary line item updated; More accurate.
-   Hourly Compensation item updated; More accurate.
-   Operating Expenses item updated; More accurate.

For detailed figures, visit the proposal linked above.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#one-time-payment-request-4)One-Time Payment Request

[Our request](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/signal-request-one-time-payment-to-com-001-to-cover-missing-dssvest-funds/11685) was met with full support from those who voted in the signal request. The next step is to get affirmative results in the on-chain Governance Poll before the payment can be put to an Executive Vote.

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#work-being-done-5)Work Being Done

Check out [our public drive.](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GBAeTx4jmob7wRs7_LK32Bh_Y-pHzPvV?usp=sharing) Documentation around all our active projects is growing and improving with project plans/descriptions, metrics tracking, and workflow process docs coming into existence and being iteratively improved upon.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#meetings-at-maker-the-calls-calendar-6)Meetings at Maker, The Calls Calendar

As documentation continues to be written and improved on, we are making progress in piloting this initiative. We are beginning to schedule Stakeholder Alignment Meetings on the Calls Calendar. The call coordinator will be listed in the description, so anyone who would like an invite can directly contact that individual on Discord. In addition, an [Initiatives, Leads, and Coordination Calls tracker](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18FFp6aG39zW7uLnHcoqBhKNHe2FbK96txRoFFQn7lt0/edit?usp=sharing) has been created to help align the DAO by maintaining this key information in a single referenceable location.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#emergency-playbook-progress-7)Emergency PlayBook Progress

Further progress has been made on this initiative. Our team has met with members of the new Immunifi Security Core Unit, IS-001, to align on initiative expectations, synergies, and vision. [@psychonaut](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/psychonaut) has partnered with us as a contributor to add to and review the existing documentation. Additionally, work on the actual documentation continues to be in progress until the completed first draft.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#makerdao-people-list-now-called-the-stakeholder-database-8)MakerDAO People List, now called the Stakeholder Database

We have nearly solidified a deal with legal counsel that specializes in global tech GDPR compliance. We are tentatively planning to begin our work with them during the second week of December. In the meantime, we are continuing to make improvements to the database itself.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#information-output-audit-9)Information Output Audit

Thomas has been meeting with Core Unit Facilitators to capture their feedback on the audit findings, methodology, and practice. To finalize this first round of the audit, expectations and timelines are being documented for completing recommended actions.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#issue-discussion-calls-10)Issue Discussion Calls

The next Issue Discussion Call is being planned for mid-December, with MKR burn being the tentative topic. More details will be posted soon.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#published-111221-112621-11)Published 11/12/21 - 11/26/21

Maker Relay\
*(Dual effort between MKT-001 & COM-001)*

[#71 Eng](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-71/11666/3) | [#71 Esp](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-71-en-espanol/11712)\
[#72 Eng](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-72/11773/3) | [#72 Esp](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/maker-relay-ep-72-en-espanol/11799/1)

Forum at a Glance

[11/11 - 11/18](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/forum-at-a-glance-november-11-18/11713/3)\
[11/18 - 11/25](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/forum-at-a-glance-november-18-25/11827/2)

### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#up-ahead-12)Up Ahead

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#december-2021-13)December 2021

-   Emergency Playbook V1 Draft
-   Coordinating the next Issue Discussion Call
-   Monthly MakerDAO CUs update
-   November Governance Review

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/govcomms-bi-weekly-update-nov-15-26/11877#january-2022-14)January 2022

-   Annual Governance Review
-   Maker Relay 2021 refresh
-   COM-001 Mandate Refresh
-   COM-001 MKR Comp Package

# Growth

## **Growth CU weekly update: October 29 - November 4**

[Weekly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?expanded=true&q=%23gro-001%20weekly%20update%20in%3Atitle)

### General Updates

> *Before the updates: if you attended the maker mixer event in Lisbon, reach out to us to send you a poap ![:hugs:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/hugs.png?v=10 ":hugs:")*

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-october-29-november-4/11438#improvements-for-the-launching-process-of-a-new-product-2)Improvements for the launching process of a new product.

Because of the nature of our mandate, where the goal is to help the ecosystem integrate with the Maker Protocol, we have identified the need to improve the onboarding of a new collateral process (new product). These improvements will help us increase awareness of what's happening in Maker and, at the same time, will tighten our relationship with our partners.

The process to onboard a new collateral -or a new product from our partners PoV- is divided into the following stages:

![](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/8/819d9886ce3d29a162002db94fc9766f0592a101.png)

1.  Review and Agreement.

Using [Long's spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LWNlv6hr8oXebk8rvXZBPRVDjN-3OrzI0IgLwBVk0vM/edit#gid=0), we can understand what's coming next. The list gives us the upcoming executives, helping us define the products to come and their impact on the Protocol.

To give everyone a practical example of how we envision this process, let's take the latest product launch during the last week, where we onboarded stETH and the D3M to the Protocol.

2.  Internal Coordination.

Although we have forum posts describing these new products, we need to create content that will explain to our community and partners what these new products mean for the Protocol and its impact on the ecosystem. During this stage, we work with [@Protocol-Engineering](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/protocol-engineering), BanklessDAO, and the [@happiness-core-unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/happiness-core-unit) to create to explain the new products.

For the D3M launch, [@hexonaut](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/hexonaut) created a [tweet thread](https://twitter.com/hexonaut/status/1455507332469821440), Growth created [another one](https://twitter.com/MakerGrowth/status/1455190235906707464), and Strategic Happiness worked in a [meme](https://twitter.com/degenwizard/status/1454433565693906945). The idea is to bring different explanations of what the D3M is and to reinforce the message.

3.  Partner Awareness

GrowthCU will reach out to various DeFi integrators to explain to them the upcoming collaterals.

In this stage, GrowthCU will support Maker's partners in integrating the new collateral and with the messaging or adoption campaigns to help them reach their audience with the new product. As some of these integrators are DAOs, we will also be presenting proposals to their community if needed.

4.  Market Awareness

Depending on the stage of the executive, we defined different ways to communicate the new product to the community:

To post as soon the executive goes live:

-   Crypto memes to generate expectation, through defidegen Twitter account

To post after the executive pass and the collateral goes live:

-   A general explanation of what it is, through MakerGrowth Twitter threads
-   Description from the PECU PoV, through a PECU team member twitter account

To post after one of our partners integrated it to have a UI to the new product:

-   BanklessDAO article
-   Partner's awareness campaign

We will constantly be improving this process and trying to find new actors that could help us increase the reach we currently have (like a PR agency). As always, any suggestions are welcome!

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-october-29-november-4/11438#makergrowth-twitter-metrics-report-3)MakerGrowth twitter metrics report

Without access to the MakerDao website, blog, and Twitter account, the MakerGrowth Twitter account is the medium we are using to communicate with the ecosystem. We started posting in June, but since July, we have been following a content schedule and a tone to engage with our audience.

We use our Twitter account to explain what's happening in MakerDAO, educate people about\
about crypto, DeFi, and MakerDAO and to announce the latest actions with our partners.

All the details about our [Twitter account performance are here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/121vVT5noINB0D6zpljAH5tT-PBP9deEN/view?usp=sharing). And thank you, [@Corina](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/corina), [@MarianoDP](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/marianodp), Tobal, and [@Lozadaluis12](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/lozadaluis12), for the best Twitter threads in all CT.

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/8/88fd97da50e4c968cffa5055701dd5ecc53c015d_2_363x500.jpeg)

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-october-29-november-4/11438#star2-star-s-of-the-week-star2-4)![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:") Star-s- of the week ![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:")

[Qubit.finance](https://qbt.fi/app) - integrated DAI on both Klaytyn and BSC

[Mythical Games](https://mythicalgames.com/) now supports payments in Dai in their marketplace via integration with Uphold (which supports Dai). Dai can be used to purchase in-game items in their popular game "Blankos Block Party" (which raised 75M this summer).

---

## **Growth CU weekly update: Nov 12-19**

### General Updates

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-12-19/11735#multichain-strategy-2)Multichain strategy

Following PECU's efforts to have DAI in other chains (Optimism, Arbitrum, and Starknet for now), the Growth team is working with those L2 to engage with their ecosystem lead to understand the existing landscape and identify where the focus areas should be. The three of them are focused on developing their community, attracting projects to build on them, and increasing liquidity.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-12-19/11735#real-world-assets-3)Real-world Assets

We are seeing more TradFi companies interested in understanding how the Maker Protocol work. With the help of RWF CU, we are creating an onboarding process for these companies to understand Maker and find a way to integrate with the protocol.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-12-19/11735#offsite-growthguests-4)Offsite Growth+guests

After our experience working with other groups in Lisbon, we want to try a new format of offsite and open it to the community. We will discuss our priorities with the team during our offsite and define a plan to achieve our objectives as a core unit. We would also like to open this discussion and invite others to create the 1T growth vision.

The offsite will be from February 7th to the 11th in Mexico. The following week some of us will stay in Mexico for then go to Eth-Denver. We need to know how many of you want to join us to make the reservation and start planing the offsite. If you are interested, please send me a DM on Discord or the forum.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-12-19/11735#star2-star-of-the-week-star2-5)![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:") Star of the week ![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:")

[Stormx](https://stormx.io/) app, a browser plugin that allows you to shop at 800+ online retailers and receive crypto cashback on purchases ( dai one of a few rewards), will do a promo with us to drive awareness to their 2mil users that dai is a good "stable" asset to choose for rewards. They will promote via email and in-app and us in Twitter and forum.

---

## **Growth CU weekly update: Nov 19-26**

### General Updates

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-19-26/11840#d3m-2)D3M

Together with [@Protocol-Engineering](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/protocol-engineering) and [@Risk-Core-Unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/risk-core-unit), we started conversations with Aave to integrate D3M in the Aave Arc and AMM markets. We will begin with Arc, and for that, before proceeding with the signaling and the proposals, we have to define with Fireblocks the way to whitelist D3M in that market.

Also, we started working with Compound. They will be putting up a signal request in the Maker forums to confirm that governance wants to proceed.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-19-26/11840#institutional-interest-in-maker-3)Institutional interest in Maker

Recently [@Hajive](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/hajive) participated in the Digital Assets Workgroup, organized by the London Stock Exchange, explaining Maker and how TradFi companies can work together with the DeFi ecosystem. Although we know these processes take a while, we want to be prepared for it, and so, we created a workgroup between GRO, [@Real-World-Finance](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/real-world-finance), [@collateral-core-unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/collateral-core-unit), [@SES-Core-Unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/ses-core-unit), and [@gov-comms-core-unit](https://forum.makerdao.com/groups/gov-comms-core-unit) to improve the onboarding process of these institutional assets.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-19-26/11840#star2-star-of-the-week-star2-4)![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:") Star of the week ![:star2:](https://forum.makerdao.com/images/emoji/twitter/star2.png?v=10 ":star2:")

[CoinDCX](https://coindcx.com/) - an Indian unicorn exchange will list DAI by mid-December. They will run a few marketing campaigns promoting DAI between their users.

---

## **Growth CU weekly update: Nov 26 - Dec 3**

### General Updates

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-26-dec-3/11996#d3m-on-the-aave-arc-market-2)D3M on the Aave Arc market

[@zxMori](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/zxmori) posted a proposal in the Aave community to [propose whitelisting the D3M and DAI](https://governance.aave.com/t/arc-makerdao-direct-dai-deposit-module-d3m-for-the-aave-arc-market/6417) in their Arc Market. Next, we have to discuss with Fireblocks how to whitelist the contract (given that they whitelist institutions) and wait for the proposal to be voted.

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/growth-cu-weekly-update-nov-26-dec-3/11996#dai-liquidity-on-our-multichain-strategy-3)DAI liquidity on our Multichain strategy

Recently we had an alarming situation with various projects that want to integrate DAI on Arbitrum but can't because of its low liquidity. They have to choose between USDC, USDT, or MIM because they can't wait for their users to bring DAI liquidity to Arbitrum and pay for the gas fees of that transaction.

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/2/2bc4aa2ce465558dbb51fcd5c2f6ef8b28401636_2_517x195.jpeg)

Currently, Arbitrum is the L2 with the largest market share (40%) and under Maker's multichain strategy. DAI is on Balancer in a stablecoin pool, but it's not on SushiSwap, nor in Curve, which represents a problem for the dApps that need deep stablecoin markets.

Talking with other Mandated Actors, we suppose the problem was the delay in including DAI on Arbitrum, which we decided for security reasons. Because of it, we think it is best to start thinking about strategies that help us increase DAI liquidity in the Networks that we consider strategic (because we may have this problem again in the future).

We are working with other Mandated Actors to find alternative solutions to this problem. Possible solutions are renting DAI liquidity to Market Makers, incentivizing DAI liquidity through rewards, or adding something in the protocol that allows us to deploy DAI liquidity.

# Strategic Happiness

- Note

# Real World Finance

# Financial Report

## **Financial Report - 2021-11**

The financial report for November 2021 is available [here](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FFdwv1xvkmOECE9CzkNBgKdXH-wAWXfm95WbiM7Sipw/edit?usp=sharing).

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/financial-report-2021-11/12183#summary-1)Summary

Continued positive momentum in the crypto markets led to a new all-time high in risk-weighted assets locked as collateral, driving higher lending and protocol income. Net protocol income was up 140% month over month, driven by a 90% ($4.7M) increase in net interest income. On a year-over-year basis, net interest income increased 870%.

-   Recurring income increased to $7.77M (+132% vs. last month), driven by a 90% increase in net interest income
-   Dai risk ratios decreased unfavorably due to a 23% increase in risk-weighted assets and $5.4M Dai used on burning MKR. The leverage ratio fell by six bps to 0.76%, and the CET1 ratio fell to 1.23%, a 22 bps decrease
-   USDC dependency continued decreasing from 42% to 37% of assets, and the peg remains safe as 37% of our assets as liquidity reserves (fiat-backed stablecoins)
-   DAI growth reversed momentum on Arbitrum, as the market saw an 8% decrease from the prior month (-18% for Dai). Dai continues to maintain the market lead on Optimism, but LUSD has just entered the market and quickly taken the second most market share with $27M LUSD minted on Optimism

#### [](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/financial-report-2021-11/12183#selected-slides-2)Selected slides

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/c/c43f2e6ed6b9ea02204b1d152154286df1eff8ea_2_690x387.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/7/705d53c26d608b4f028935b42c266904ee3d8b79_2_690x386.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/6/617bd1347c55a913dc8351a6b9fa17e5c102aa92_2_690x387.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/c/cd50875ab8ed3a717bfb0d11a1e32eb58d1e85ea_2_690x388.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/b/bf075c2afb9c4e275d682c0f70340eb087ff0aeb_2_690x387.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/f/f04210f902cf3bf86913a2a2983192a5fb4372a3_2_690x387.png)

![image](https://makerdao-forum-backup.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/optimized/2X/7/7898c1e50b8f5fa74ff27fa9cc7e8c9cf923b5be_2_690x387.png)

# Harbor

## **Harbor Update November 2021**

-   Harbor chooses [Codat](https://www.codat.io/us/case-study/harbor/) as an integration partner to access real-time users' data for risk monitoring and transaction approval on the HarborTrade platform. These integrations will improve our operational efficiency and workflow to provide users with a more seamless experience on our system by interacting with client accounting and ERP systems.

-   Harbor has executed the [world's largest trade finance transaction](https://harbor-trade.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e426b0104fa2ee032ff645f98&id=e12baf422a&e=fdbcc22a75) funded with a stablecoin to provide working capital for a global commodities trader. The over $2 million transactions are the first and largest trade finance program of its kind.

-   HTC2 was open for last month but was quickly oversubscribed. Currently, there is a capacity for roughly 900,000 DAI to invest in DROP. We are also accepting investors to subscribe to the TIN tranche.

-   Origination continues to be strong during the month of November as corporates evaluate their working capital strategy for 2022.

Pool Status

Pool Value: 4,142,278 DAI

Debt Ceiling Utilization: 2,034,867 DAI

# New Silver

## **New Silver November 2021 Update**

[Monthly Updates](https://forum.makerdao.com/search?expanded=true&q=%23ns-drop%20update%20in%3Atitle)

Dear Community,

Another very busy month. I wanted to provide a bit of my view on the state of the real estate market in the US. It has not changed significantly from the last month; it remains a seller's market, prices are climbing, and homes are getting less affordable. This cycle can not continue forever, and we believe there will be tapering in 2022. This could be accelerated by a rate hike, however, in our view, central bankers are being very careful here, and we will likely see a small increase, which should cool off the market some, but there is a lot of pent up demand from first-time homeowners, who are a perfect "exit" from a flip. We are continuing to focus on suburban markets and markets where there are job opportunities, though, with the remote-first model, this is all changing quickly. America remains a place where people want to move, live and work, and housing will continue to be in demand. Here is a report from [Realtor.com](http://realtor.com/) on [2022 projections](https://www.realtor.com/research/2022-national-housing-forecast/).

We are working to improve our systems and processes and are going to share a new report hopefully next month; the report should provide more color and transparency on the loan book. I also know that Centrifuge is busy reworking the legal setup, and we hope to continue to grow with MakerDAO. In the near future, we will pilot a "note purchase" program, essentially adding a wholesale business to our existing origination business. We will aim to pilot purchasing a closed loan from another loan originator; we will, of course, fully underwrite it to make sure it conforms to our credit box. This could be a potential way to expand the portfolio sustainably. I will provide more on this in a separate post once we have a bit more info.

We have also completed another month of testing a new way to value some of the collateral (described in more detail in September [update](https://forum.makerdao.com/t/new-silver-september-2021-update/10915)), and the results met our expectations. You can review the [results](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WWGwqjg1nRoRwWImbf2WGlQOimCAN8Un/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=111322895658995303890&rtpof=true&sd=true) for properties that fit the profile for this, with both of the appraised values, conditions based on TruePic images and HouseCanary values based on the condition, both the median and the average are well under normal ranges. We are satisfied with the results and will begin applying this method to selective properties (as described in the previous post) going forward.

Loan Originations in Tinlake

We originated a total of $7.8mm total; however, due to capital constraints in the pool, a smaller number was added.

New Loans:12\
New Loan USD Volume: $2.8mm\
Average Originated Interest Rate: 8.8%\
Average Tinlake Finance Fee: 6.17%\
Average Loan Amount: DAI 234,632\
Average Loan to Value: 67%\
Average FICO score: 720\
Average Term: 12 months\
Loans Paid Back: 6\
Current MakerDAO Debt Ceiling: $20mm with about $10.6mm used

**data provided is based on loan origination date, not finance date

Loan Performance

90+ day late: 0\
Forbearance: 0\
Foreclosure: 0

Technology

Working on a real-time report to provide more transparency into the loan portfolio. Also redesigned our web app; this will be live soon.

People

Please welcome our brand new Head of Capital Markets, John Coury ([@John_NewSilver](https://forum.makerdao.com/u/john_newsilver) ), he comes to us with tons of real estate and private equity experience, though he is new to DeFi, he has already learned a lot and is looking forward to participating in the community.
